(eco)house

(eco)house

Sarajevo

The (eco)house is an extension and retrofit of an existing apartment building in Sarajevo. The design upgrades and modernises the fabric of the existing structure and apartments whilst adding new apartments and maisonettes, rationalising the entrance and access to every dwelling. The use of glulam wood construction creates a lightweight frame which wraps around the existing creating modern and sustainable balcony and access spaces, both private and communal. The frame acts a a unifying device, improving the proportions of the existing building and harmonising the facade of these individual apartments. Wood is a widely available and regenerative building material for Bosnia and Herzegovina and will be locally sourced and fabricated which combined with the thermal facade upgrading and the solar shading creates a sustainable solution to the urban condition of requiring new housing using limited resources. The low carbon footprint of the retrofit will be a model for the area. The use of external curtains adds solar shading, texture to the facades and offers privacy, forming part of a long term sustainable retrofit strategy which the project pioneers. The facade becomes a living canvas, with natural materials and foliage camouflaging it with its context in the Sarajevo city hills.